Rachel Chason
@Rachel_Chason
West Africa bureau chief for @washingtonpost 🇸🇳 Always @postlocal Say hi [email protected]
This past weekend, @washingtonpost published our 16-page special section on the Sahel — a region of the world that over the past decade has been transformed by conflict. A thread below of reporting highlights from 12+ trips to the region & each of the stories in 📰
The killings of two young men from a wealthy Palestinian village this month, including a 20-year-old American citizen, marked a notable escalation in the battle being waged by Israeli settlers for Palestinian-owned land in the rolling hills of the West Bank.…
Trump and Netanyhu are meeting this week for what analysts say could be a turning point “For decades, things have been very stagnant, and now possibilities are opening up that we thought were unimaginable for decades,” said @yplesner @cairo_claire1 @mviser wapo.st/4eDmT7q
US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammunition as Palestinians seek food in #Gaza. The AP has obtained videos of a food-distribution site in Gaza and interviewed two American contractors working there.
We spoke with 2 contractors for UG solutions, the shadowy US outfit manning aid sites in Gaza. They say guards are firing live ammo and stun grenades as Palestinians seek food. One said the org is sharing info with the Israeli military. W/ @sammednick apnews.com/article/palest…
When @hafiz54472061 & I were at a center for malnourished kids in Sudan, a 7-yr-old girl came with her starving little sister and brother. Her mother had disappeared; the kids hadn't eaten for 2 days. At 7, she was doing her best to save the little ones washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…
Children clung to life in Sudan by the slenderest of threads, supported by community soup kitchens. Then the USAID funding cuts came, and their mothers watched them starve to death one by one. washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…
Emmanuel Mukuria was last seen on the evening of June 25th, 2025, allegedly arrested by plainclothes officers. A man later told the family that they were held together in prison. We joined in the search.Where is he? washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…
Take the time to read this investigation— spanning 7 countries and including interviews either more than 4 dozen gov and law enforcement officials — into the Hongmen Association, by amazing @rebtanhs and Pei-Lin Wu: wapo.st/3G9HnYC
Great reporting from @Rachel_Chason on JNIM, with great insight from security officials and those affected by the violence. A very timely piece, given May & early June have been one of the deadliest-ever 30-day periods in the Sahel, with JNIM capturing major population centers.
After years spent quietly gaining strength, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is now the most well-armed militant force in West Africa. No one knows when its fighters will strike next — or where they plan to stop. wapo.st/43D8uV2
After years spent quietly gaining strength, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is now the most well-armed militant force in West Africa. No one knows when its fighters will strike next — or where they plan to stop. wapo.st/43D8uV2
🇲🇱|#Mali: JNIM has released images of fighters observing Eid al-Adha in the Macina region.
Some interesting highlights from this in-depth @Rachel_Chason and @guypeterson_ report: "Plans to relocate (US) drones (from Niger) to Ivory Coast and Benin have been scrapped." (1/2) washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…